The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-06-18
EASY TO ENLIST,
But It Il Mighty Hard to Get Out Of
the Army.

Out of the commonplace of the
city streets there crops out now and
then bit of romance worth word,
perhaps, because any touch of sent
iment seems somehow all out of
place amid the brick and mortar
Of the town. Least of all would
one look for anything of the kind
in the grim baroness Of recruiting
station for soldiers. Yet the heart
does sometimes get the upper hand
even in the town. A little incident,
says the New York World, drew
attention the other day to these
places, where men are turned into
soldiers. Once the word is spoken
the man is bound for five years, a
very slave to his work. Without
influence. all heaven is powerless
to loose his bonds. Sometimes the
word is spoken hastily; here and
there one resigns himself to this
slavery in a moment of desponden-
CIV, and again a man takes upon
himself the burden in fit of pique.
1t is somewhat like committing
suicide. After the deed you may
want to take it all back.
1t was 80 with the young man
last week whose father appealed
tearfully for the release of the lad.
The boy was just of age, and the
illusions of affection and despair
seemed real to him. His story was
as simple as it was commonplace.
There was somebody-a young wo-
man, of course-who he said was
all the world to him. He told her
so. He told her SO out in the park,
with the afternoon sun glinting
through the tender young leaves.
He did not remember just what she
said, but it seemed horribly cruel.
1t shut out the sunlight. What was
the use of living with the daylight
blotted out forever. He would go
off somewhere and she should never
hear his name again. He would
enlist. And in the name of love
he did.
The recruiting officer was glad to
snap up a man in such fine physi-
cal condition. The youth found en-
listing the easiest thing in the world.
He answered all questions without
a break. No, he had never been
arrested /; no, he was not married,
and volunteered somewhat bitterly
the unnecessary information that
he never intended to be. Just a
little scratch of the pen and his
name was signed to the oath OF
allegiance. 1t was his last free act.
1t was not quite ten minutes
from the time he first entered
the office. Yet it was long enough
to swear himself into five years of
scrvitude. He no longer had any
thing to say as to his choice OF
work, his hours or his place of res
idence. He was an unimportant
part of the great machine, whose
duty was to obey without knowing
why he obcyed.
Three days of it were enough to
make him sick of his bargain. Love
did not seem such an all-important
fact, after all. He began to realize
what he had heard somewhere that
the two worst maladies that assail
man-love and seasickness-are the
most short lived. 1t might appear
very heroic and all that to go of
and be a soldier boy, but it was
deuced uncomfortable. They were
going to ship him out to Jefferson
barracks, in Missouri. He hateo
Missouri. He hated being every
body's servant. They kept him II
stuffy little room at No. 174 Hud
son street, with a lot of men utterly
uncongcnial. 1t was too much
Heroics were all right and so was
love, but a good dinner once more
would outweigh both. He wrote tt
his father begging him to see th'
district congressman and secure
release. The father appealed to hi
congressman and to an Influential
friend. The papers luckily had no
vet been sent to Washington. Th'
young man. was let of. That II
how the story is told.
A few years ago a son OF a rlci
merchant enlisted in somewhat tn
same hurried way. He stuck it out
though, was put in cavalry regi
ment and afterwards got all offi
GERS commission through influence
brought to bear in the right direc
ton. But most of the men VIII
enlist thus hastily, usually desert
running the risk Of two years I'M
prisonment.
A visitor at the recruiting sta
tions saw a good deal of the elias
of men who enlist during peac
times the past week. They are
neculiar class. There are four er
, listing stations in town-at II
Hudson street, 116 Chatham stree
56 West street and 100 West stree
, An especial effort is being made
yet colored soldiers so as to con
plete a regiment now forming OF
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